Sepp Kuss enters the second week of the Vuelta a Espana as leader with a solid gap over the top favorites for the overall victory, but does Kuss believe in final victory?
Jumbo-Visma hoped to fight for the overall victory in the Spanish grand tour with Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic before the start of the Vuelta, but now the team suddenly has a third pawn to play with in Sepp Kuss. The American already won the mountain stage to Javalambre in the first week and is currently the proud wearer of the red jersey.
But more importantly, a rider like Remco Evenepoel is already almost two and a half minutes behind.
“I can now take a little more risk, because I am in a new position. I have no expectations myself and the team does not have unrealistic expectations either. But I believe in myself. I already feel better than in the last Tour de France. It will all depend on the freshness.”
Kuss was enjoying a well-deserved rest day, but duty calls again on Tuesday. And it is a crucial stage in the battle for the general classification, as a flat time trial of around 25 kilometers has been planned around Valladolid.
“I don’t feel any pressure, not even for the time trial. It’s not like it’s the last stage of this Vuelta either. I just have to believe in myself and then we’ll see what’s possible. My last wind tunnel test was from a few years ago. I can only take myself a few positions in a time trial. I worked a lot on it in 2021, but it turned out terribly. This year I only rode my time trial bike in the Giro and Tour and in the run-up to the Vuelta for the team time trial.”
“I don’t know what to expect. In the last Tour I rode well against the clock. In many time trials I feel quite good on the flat. It will all depend on the legs. It’s good for a time trial if I feel a little fresher,” said the Vuelta leader.
